RAC

First, the important stuff ~ Mai's doctor called today and said she wants us to just observe Mai for a couple of weeks and then go from there. Mai had another good day today :o)

Today was our first group swim at the RAC. I love the RAC. Beautiful locker room, fresh towels - all you can use - lots of hair dryers, curling irons, the works. SO NICE.

So the start of drills for the year. I didn't do much in the way of drills last year - missed too many coached swims in the pool, but not this year. It felt awesome - definitely not as scary as my first day last year. I'll try to remember what we did ~ Coaches Jane and Lindsay eased us in with a

10 minute warm up,

8x50s, odd ones 60 kicking with a board, even ones long glide freestyle building speed to 75% while keeping good body position. Rest 15 sec.

1x200 pulling iwth the buoy. Relaxed stroke, press the chest into the water.

6x25s, 1 easy, one moderate, one fast. Rest 15 seconds in between each.

Warm-down, 5 minutes with bobs.

I think that was it, but that doesn't seem like much. Pretty easy breezy...which was fine at 6am! ...and I was home before the kids even woke up!

I hit the gym after Jack got out of school for some RT, 20 minutes on elliptical and then I put my suit on for the sauna and decided to swim for 20 minutes first. Sauna was nice and friendly today and I stayed in talking for 20 minutes - AWESOME!

Bike Workouts: 1/2
Run Workouts: 1/3
Swim Workouts: 2/2
Group Workouts: 1/2
RT Workouts: 1/3

11 mile run/hike Extra Credit
20 minutes elliptical Extra Credit
20 minutes in pool Extra Credit


Now I've got a big ol' glass of wine and it looks like I'm 1 minute late for AI and then Lost :o)

Rule #889

Conversation with 6 y/o Jack while he's in the tub this a.m.

Jack: Mama, ya know what the #1 Rule is for treating women, right?

Me: Hm, I'm not sure. What do you think it is?

Jack: The most important rule is to never tell a woman she's fat.

Me: Really? I always thought the #1 rule was to treat women with respect.

Jack: Nope. That's rule #889.


oh, boy... I've got me some gentleman training to do!

As you can see from the above pic, Mai and I got excited last night in anticipation of my first group swim so we got out our TNT polish. It's snowing again...which reminds me I better go find my phone in case the school calls for early closure.

Let's see - I swam yesterday for 2000m and it was a great swim! Sat in the sauna for about 10 minutes afterwards and decided I need to treat myself to that more often. I've been SO good the last couple weeks of making sure to get 8+ hours of sleep and I can totally see it making a difference in my life!! SERIOUSLY! Now, I think a sauna or tub or steam for at least 5 minutes each time I'm at the gym should be my next goal.

Today was a quick 30 minute run on the schedule. Actual was 36 with w/u and c/d.

Bike Workouts: 1/2
Run Workouts: 1/3
Swim Workouts: 2/2
Group Workouts: 0/2
RT Workouts: 0/3
11 mile run/hike Extra Credit

The most awesome news of the year ~....Mai's MRI was NORMAL!!! Not sure where we go from here, but THAT was a relief!! Thanks for all your prayers!!

Good Morning :o)
I am sooo not awake yet, so the post I was going to do on "Dread Not" will have to wait. I had lots of thinking time yesterday and I wanted to put it all down in a post, but now is not the time - I need to let the the cobwebs clear yet this morning.

Let's see, on the the workout front, I made it to the pool around 9pm Saturday after church. Pastor Kip's sermon was "Fear Not" so I had some time to reflect while I swam. Did you know that "Fear Not" appears 365 times in the bible? Once for every day of the year. So tuck that in your heart today and carry on.

I swam 1500 miserable meters due to some unruly young teens. This is getting rediculous. I tried to complain as I was leaving but there was only one small "kid" working in the whole place at 10pm on a Saturday and if he had tried to confront the pool kids, I'm sure he would have got his butt whooped.

When I awoke Sunday, I was SOOOOOO happy I had done my Sunday scheduled bike ride a day early because It Was Snowing!!! I did make it up to Leif for a run and it was gorgeous as you can see in the first picture. What was going to be a 12 mile run ended up into a lot of walking since Ki and I really stopped to smell the frozen roses a lot on this great day and only did 11 miles. Lots of contemplating and try to let my mind quiet so I could listen for God. Don't you wish He would just talk right in your ear about all the things that you need to hear... and every day? I do. I think He probably does talk to me every day, I just need to listen.

In my second picture, you can see I made the wise choice to pull out my ever fashionable water-proof socks. Last time I wore them on this long of a run, I got little blisters between my toes from sweat, so I decided to wear a light running sock underneath them and they worked like a charm. My shoes were sopping wet, but my feet were warm and dry and cozy the whole time!

Third pic is Mai getting warm in her dress over a vent in the family room. She's been sitting over that thing all weekend - it's a bit chilly in this house. Sometimes, I get really tired of cutting back on expenses...
however...this pic was worth turning the heat down 1 degree.

I headed out to the pool again last night and asked the front desk to have someone swing by the pool area a couple times in the next 30 minutes to make sure no kids were bugging me. Of course, they didn't come in to check it out, but fortunately, no kids last night. It was a great swim of about 1750meters and as I was leaving the pool, someone said "Aren't you with TNT? I recognize you from the run on Saturday". Hooray! Someone from my team goes to my gym! Her name is Karen and this is her first tri. What good fortune that I decided to do 5 extra laps instead of sit in the sauna. I would have missed out on meeting her!

Got home to find an e-mail from my mom that she had gone to the ER and has pneumonia and that she was heading to bed, so I didn't call her. I'm waiting another hour and then I'll call and find out what is going on. I also get Mai's results today.
Fear not. Fear not. Fear not.
I'm going upstairs now to look up some verses in my bible - think I can find all 365 references before the kids wake up? Whoops...I just hear a "hi mama" coming down the stairs. Guess not.

Bike Workouts: 1/2
Run Workouts: 0/3
Swim Workouts: 1/2
Group Workouts: 0/2
RT Workouts: 0/3
11 mile run/hike Extra Credit.

First Group Run 2009

We finally got our TNT workout schedules for Jan/Feb yesterday and there was a 40 minute bike ride on the schedule for Friday so Steve took a break from work to let me get out in the sun for a bit. He had made fun of my sunglasses on my last ride so I left them at home this time - dumb. Why do I care what he thinks of my sunglasses? I had so much dirt in my eyes by the time I got home, I couldn't see anything without a big blur. The ride was pretty uneventful other than being in a fenced bike bath and coming around the corner face to face with a cop car...who didn't even slow down or try to move over for me - grrr. What the heck was he doing in there?

I had grand plans to go for a swim last night but my intentions of keeping my beer and pizza at the in-laws to one a piece, turned into 3 each and I decided to leave the swim for tonight.

Oh, and on the way home from dog park at dusk last night, I saw what looked to be a purse and all it's contents dumped out at the foot of our street. I got out and picked it all up and took it home and Steve called a phone # on a business card we found in it and he got the husband of a woman who had just been assaulted and was at the hospital getting treated. The creep dumped her purse on our street - freaked me out a bit that he was in our neighborhood. A good bit.

This morning was our first group run. We met at Duniway Track at the local Y. Picture above is of about a little less than half the team arriving this morning. We ran 10 minutes, talked, ran 10 minutes, talked, ran 10 minutes, talked. So although we were there for 2 full hours, not much of a workout, so when I got home, I hopped on the bike and did my 50minute ride that's on tomorrow's schedule since I want to do a long run tomorrow in anticipation of the mud run next month.

I met some great people this morning! This team is going to be awesome. Looks like there's about 100 of us again. People of all backgrounds, shapes, sizes, tri vets, tri newbies, all with one thing in common - as Coach Jane always says - they are all compassionate people. I love to hear the different stories on how people are drawn in to TNT. I met a young woman who is a nurse in Oncology at a local hospital. I met a woman who is doing this with her husband - they lost a child to bone cancer 3 years ago. I met two women who are marathoners and are trying triathlons out for a change of pace. I met a man who wants to lose weight and saw this as an opportunity to reclaim his body while honoring his mother in law, who has leukemia. Everyone has a story and I can't wait to get to know them all better. Then there were the alumni, who are back again, raising funds year after year for this great cause. My favorite alum today was Randall. We were in the same mentor group last year and we agreed today that we have a score to settle with Pac Crest and we won't give up until we've settled it! Obviously we both had a rough time last year in the race, but it's the pull of TNT and LLS that brought us back as teammates.

So, as I posted earlier, I am committed to doing ALL scheduled workouts and group workouts so I'll be posting the weeks plan on Saturdays for the following week and for each missed workout, you'll see my name up on my TNT Homepage with a donation of $20.

So this week looks like this:
Bike Workouts: 1/2 ( I already put down one for this week since I did tomorrow's workout today)
Run Workouts: 0/3
Swim Workouts: 0/2
Group Workouts: 0/2
RT Workouts: 0/3 (This isn't part of TNT training, but I'll be doing it anyway)

I'll also post daily what I did and how long it was supposed to be and how long it actually was (because I'm notorious for cutting workouts short ...when I'm not skipping them altogether...sigh). If I cut them short, I also have to donate $20.

so Friday was:
Planned ride: 40 minutes Actual ride: 40:30
Saturday was: 50 minutes Actual ride: 52:48

Ok, better get upstairs, I think someone is coming to pick up the lady's purse pretty soon.

oh...no results yet on Mai. The nurse called me back finally at 5:30 yesterday to say no results - wait until Monday, but I just noticed on my phone that the doctor tried to call at 9pm last night and didn't leave a message so now I'm a bit freaked out.

Train Endure Achieve Matter

(TEAM) Train. Endure. Achieve. Matter.
Those are the words on our TNT bracelets we wear all season. I can't believe it's starting already again.
Man, I love being up and on my way somewhere at Sunrise. Team in Training sure delivers a bunch of mornings like that. Starting Saturday, we are off and training.

Yesterday started very early at the gym. I was still picking sand out of my eyes as I wandered up the stairs to the weight room when I ran into a friend who usually works out later in the day and who I haven't seen in forever. It was good to catch up with him and I managed to wake up enough to do a decent upper body workout.

I headed back downstairs and ended up sharing the pool with a girl who did great in the Emerald Cup last year. I took a break in the middle of my swim to talk to her (I think I only ended up doing about 1350meters). She's competing in the Emerald Cup again this year and is focusing on winning and going to USA Nationals in Vegas in July. She's also training to do a couple of sprint triathlons while she's training for the Emerald so we talked tri talk a bit and I think we're going to try to ride together this weekend.

Mai's MRI was scheduled for 11:30 and she was to not eat at all and no water after 9:30. We got there early (dumb) and then they were running late and they didn't get her back until 1pm. I thought I would lose my mind with all of the "I'm hungry" and "how many more minutes?" while I was freaking out a bit about anesthesia. Anyways, they took her back and wouldn't let me be with her and she was so brave as I just watched her walk away down the hall in her little hospital jammies and bare feet with the nurse. They brought me into recovery to be with her as she woke up and that was a little scary for her and for me, but then she was awake and we made it home without her barfing and she was up and steady on her feet within the hour. Thanks for all your prayers ~ we should have the results by tomorrow afternoon and hopefully they are negative for anything and we can move on with figuring out the problem.

Our TNT Kick Off party was last night. Lots of coaches/captains/mentors dressed in purple hair and crazy outfits. Lots of familiar faces and many new faces as well. Looks like the team is smaller this year, but there are still several more weeks for people to join. I cried during the guest speaker as usual. Our honored teammate this year again is Natasha. She is a beautiful little girl battling leukemia. We almost lost her last year and was told that without a bone marrow transplant she was going to die. The chances of her getting a match were less than 5% due to different factors and if she got the transplant, the chances of it working were less than 3%!!! She is here with us again this season and in remission! Now, if that's not a miracle, I don't know what is.

Our other honored teammate is Julie. She is actually participating WITH US in our triathlon training and will be doing Pac Crest with us. What an honor to have her along side of us. I can't wait to get to know her better.

I got an e-mail from a teammate this morning with this signature line - I liked it as a reminder for the season when I start to worry too much about me and my training and my fears. It's not about me:
For all who live, for all who have lost their battle and for those who's battles are yet to come; Go Team!!

More Tales From The Pool

Headed to the pool again last night. Figured I would wait until about 7:45pm to let the crowds ease up, but still had to park on the 3rd floor of the garage and the place was packed! Managed to get in about 3 laps before I made the mistake of smiling at Syd the realtor, and spent 15 minutes letting him try to figure out where he knew me from. I assured him I look much different without a swim cap and big goofy pink goggles, but he felt sure we had met before. Our conversation finally ended and I headed back out to be perturbed by the kids (and by kids I mean teenagers who should know better) in the pool. I karate chopped one only to have him splash water in my mouth when I came up for a breath on my way back by him again. Serves me right, I guess. He continued to get in my way so I poked him good in the butt and he finally left my lane.

Ended up with 1650 meters before heading home to bed.

Just finished a 20 minute BFL style HIIT on the treadmill and am in need of a shower and some food pronto.

Thanks for all your Mai prayers. Her headaches have been much better these last couple of days. She goes in for her MRI tomorrow morning.

Ok, off to clean up.

Look At Her Dominoes!

Ever since I showed Mai Cynthia's
picture in Oxygen Saturday, she has been non-stop about the muscles. Since she's grown up with Oxygen, she likes herself a good muscular physique, but somehow Cynthia inspired Mai to go through her brothers costumes until she found one with built in muscles: shoulders, arms, and abdominals. She keeps asking her Dad and I if we like her big, strong "dominoes". She says she had to work pretty hard to get them :o)

Yesterday began my one week of pre-Pac Crest/TNT training. I hopped on my bike for a short 10 miles, which definitely felt longer due to the very strong headwind. I also almost got knocked over a couple times from gusts. I was mostly just wanting to get back the feel of being in clipless pedals and get my bottom reminded of what the saddle is like. It was a beautiful day for a ride and I probably should have kept going a while longer, but I wanted to get some errands done before hitting the gym for a swim.

It's the first time I've been in the pool since probably late August or early September. I almost cried it felt so good to be back in the water. I did 1300 meters and took it really easy. Steve warned me one of the lane markers has been gone for some time now so I was expecting some drama but it was just plain silly that people think that because a marker is gone the pool should now become like the local kid pool for splashing and playing ...grrr. Steve always tells me to treat someone who hops in my lane to play as if they had hopped on my treadmill while I was running, so usually I just pretend I don't see them and karate chop their head as I swim pass, but I took the time last night to stop and ask for some room and it worked well. Since I was the only one swimming laps they managed to give me 1/2 of a lane to be by myself. I think I'll go back tonight :o)

Sunny Sunday

Every Winter morning that I wake up and can see Mt. Hood is a good one. I can count on it! Today is going to be clear and cold and SUNNY!!

Yesterday I headed out for a 5 mile run with Ki. It was not the best - she had potty problems and I seem to have renewed my shin splint pain. I was only able to run 2 miles and then we walked two. I really wanted to wait until our TNT shoe clinic to buy new shoes but I think I'm going to have to get them sooner.

After the run/walk, I headed downtown to Deschutes Brewery for lunch with my friend, Sheryl. She was my security blanket all last year in bike training and this year she is once again my hero. She's in my TNT mentor group again - Hooray! and she is using Pac Crest as a training race for IRONMAN Canada in August!! Maybe by some crazy chance, I'll come by some extra money and be able to go along and cheer! She's totally inspired me yet again.

Mai's headaches seem worse this weekend, but she's also got a cold so that is probably why. She's got a huge canker sore in her mouth and her poop is green? I'm not googling symptoms anymore, there are just too many! Thanks everyone for your continued prayers. As of right now, we are just waiting for Wednesday when they will do the MRI. They will also draw blood again while she is under to test for lead poisoning and take a urine spec to check her bun level again. I'm just so glad that she is old enough now to tell me her head hurts. You moms must remember what it was like when you knew something was wrong but the kids were too little to tell us what was hurting them - so frustrating!

I think I'll skip my long run today and let my shins have some rest. Time to hop on the bike for a bit today. The longest I've ridden since Pac Crest was 3 1/2 miles the other day with Mai...
pitiful. I've got some work ahead of me! Can't wait!

Prayers For My Baby...and Mama, Too

I have this picture of Mai on my desk to remind me when things are getting a little crazy around here that she is still my little baby. I can actually smell her sweet baby smell just by looking at this picture! It's so hard to have the memories of them being so little and cuddly slipping away from me. Now they are big and fortunately still cuddly, but as I was sleeping with Mai in her bed last night and her legs went half way down mine, I felt like they are growing up way too fast.

My friends, please keep Mai in your prayers. She's been having bad headaches for several months and we haven't figured what is going on yet. They did a CT of her head/sinuses right before Christmas and decided to put her on anti-biotics for two weeks which did nothing to help her headaches. Then they did blood and urine tests and the urine showed high bun level so she had a kidney ultrasound yesterday. Her MRI was r/s from this week to next Wednesday due to equipment problems and her headaches continue to get worse.

For the most part, I've just been putting my fears and worries into God's hands but I googled "headaches and elevated bun" night before last and the first article that popped up was lead poisoning and since then I've just been wrecked thinking about different scenarios. Of course, her doctor was out of the office yesterday, so I couldn't talk to her to even find out if they did a lead test with her blood. Now with the MRI being put off, I'm scared it's a tumor. My imagination is running wild and I guess I could use a prayer or two myself. Please say a prayer for Mai that she'll find some relief from her headaches and that the doctors will figure out what is going on. Thank you so much!

Team in Training

My Team in Training web page is up! I'll be working on it more today and will be adding updates to it weekly once training starts next week. GO PURPLE!!! http://pages.teamintraining.org/or/pctri09/jarts

This is going to be fun!! Hope you'll join me as I journal my journey to the Pacific Crest 1/2 Iron Triathlon....again.

Aging

This morning my 6 year old, Jack, says to me: Mama, I just can't believe how fast these last 6 and a half years have gone by!!

Wow! And he thinks it's gone by fast so far!! I can't believe how quickly months become years now!!!!???!!! Scary!

And speaking of scary, yesterday my 4 year old, Mai, said to me: Mama, it's your birthday next month.

Me: Yes, it is, guess how old I'll be.

Mai: 41

Me: Yep

Mai: Aren't you scared?



hahahahaha. No way, baby, 41 is going to be my best year yet, I can feel it!!

10 MIles at Leif

I was planning on doing a longish ride this weekend but ended up running Ki 10 miles up at Leif again. The snow is ALL gone and all the fallen trees are chopped up and gone. It was warmer this weekend but drizzly, which I don't mind at all - I just don't like being cold. As you can see from the second pic, it was pretty foggy, too. First pic is Ki at our turn around point at the mile 5 marker. Leif is great because they have mile markers every 1/4 mile! I also like running there when I'm trying to add some mileage, because the first half of the run is up and the last half is down, so any added extra miles are downhill and easy. I couldn't believe how many mountain bikers there were today, but they were all respectful of the pup and I, so it was fine.

In the last pic, if you can see through the mud, you might notice that I tie my shoes funny. I start lacing them from the top and tie the bow at my toes. I learned this helpful hint too late for my first marathon (and suffered greatly for it) but it's been a lifesaver since then. There's a nerve that runs across the top of my foot, I guess - left one in particular. The knot of the bow starts to irritate it if I run over about 4 or 5 miles and it becomes unbearable. Now I just tie them at the toes and NO trouble! Your helpful hint for the day :o)

Tomorrow I help out at preschool. Wish me luck...

'Cause I Know Who I Am

Some days are just easier than others. Those days seem to be the ones where I am at home and there is no one around to make my speech dry up to absolute boredom or feel like I'm the most under-dressed person around. Today had it's good and it's bad, but it's almost over and I'm almost to bed.

Tried sneaking out of the house this morning for my run without Ki seeing me. If she even spots one piece of running clothes - my shoes or tights or coat, she is on me like glue. At first I thought I was going to get away with it until I realized my iPod was downstairs and I had to walk right past the slider where she was staring in. Soooo, she went with me. Normally I like having her with me but sometimes I just want to be free of it all and just run. On the up side, about a mile in, she pooped right next to a garbage can so I didn't have to carry her poop bag for the remaining 4 miles! Life is Good!

Then Mai and I went to the Team in Training info meeting at the Lucky Lab and I am officially signed up to do it all over again :O) This blog will resume it's regularly scheduled triathlon blab almost immediately. First group training is on the 24th. I have decided that to keep myself on track better this year and hit ALL my group swims, all group rides and runs, and all daily workouts is to pledge to pay $20 out of my allowance each time I skip a workout. It's going to a good cause so that is not the painful part - what will hurt is that this is the only money I have to use to buy running clothes (old ones stink!), bike clothes (old ones stink!), cO2 cartridges, tubes, ear plugs, etc that I need for training. I will keep track of workouts on the sidebar and you will be able to see any and all "donations" I myself make on my TNT web page, which should be up tomorrow.

This evening we headed to church and there was this great line from one of the songs that totally talked to me tonight ~ yelled at my heart in fact:

'Cause I know who I am
is who You made,
so here I stand unafraid.

Got a couple other good quotes from Pastor Kip tonight:

We don't change when we see the light,
We change when we feel the heat. - unknown source

Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. - Ambrose Redmoon

Husbands and Wives

Awww...romance. For some reason, when I posted this picture, Jess, I thought about your comment to Cynthia yesterday about decompressing with husband in the hot tub. You're so much luckier than poor Lois above, she looks like she has NO room at all :o)

Here's a funny my friend Tracy sent me this morning:

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are

right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour.

Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more

minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and

you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end

in Fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement

often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot

and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you

about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can

make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before

deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say

you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she

says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at

all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' . that will bring on a 'whatever').

(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying F-- YOU!

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning

this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is

now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's

wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

Send this to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can avoid

if they remember the terminology.

* Send this to all the women you know to give them a good laugh, cause

they know it's true!!!

Mai Loves Her Some "Frogie"

Mai's ears have apparently grown, as they are big enough for my earbuds now. You will find her most days dancing around the house singing at the top of her lungs with my iPod. Her favorite right now is Fergie (or "Frogie" as she calls her). If you've never heard me sing, I can assure you, she gets her voice from me :P

Yesterday I took a 4 mile run around the neighborhood but left Ki at home and felt guilty for that, so today I took her up to Leif Erickson for an 8 miler. The trail was very clear of snow except in several parts - especially right before the 4 mile marker, but there were still remnants on the side of the trail which made it pretty. Some spots were pretty slick and it was nice to hear the crunch of ice/snow under my feet in the areas that haven't seen much sun. Only about 3 or 4 fallen trees on the path but room has been made to go around them.

I ran into a Team In Training teammate on my way up. She said she's training with TNT again this year and I've heard from several others so it looks like there will be lots of friendly faces this year. I'm very nervous, much more so than last year, of being able to raise $4000 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, but I'm forging ahead in expectation of some generous donors. I think this is going to have to be my year to come up with a big fund raising idea vs just donations, so if anyone has experience in this area, I am open to suggestions. I don't think I "know" enough people to pull off a silent auction or something like that. I do have a few ideas that the kids and I can work on together, as simple as doing bottle/can drives and also seeing if I can set a table up at the gym and I've heard Walmart will match donations up to a point if you set up a tent outside their doors.

Well, off to see if there's any hot water for me - I'm freezing cold - only 32 degrees for our run today and I need a nice hot one!

Quotes

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon. ~Doug Larson

Eat right, exercise regularly, die anyway. ~Author Unknown

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing. ~Redd Foxx

Red meat is not bad for you. Now blue-green meat, that's bad for you! ~Tommy Smothers

I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol. ~Author Unknown

If you resolve to give up smoking, drinking and loving, you don't actually live longer; it just seems longer. ~Clement Freud, The Observer, 27 December 1964

OK....now on to the REAL ones :o)

Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit.
Conrad Hilton

A handful of pine-seed will cover mountains with the green majesty of forest. I too will set my face to the wind and throw my handful of seed on high.
William Sharp

When the world says, "Give up,"
Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."
~Author Unknown

Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves. ~Dale Carnegie

Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there. ~Josh Billings

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. ~Newt Gingrich

Love Your Life

I'm stealing a thought from Em's blog today to LOVE YOUR LIFE. I dare you all to make 2009 your best year and to remember that Life IS Good. Sometimes it throws us curve balls but it is what we make it. If we think life sucks, then it probably will. Please don't think life sucks. Please plaster a LIfe is Good Sticker to your forehead and everywhere else you can share it with others and HAVE A FREAKIN' GOOD FIRST DAY OF 2009!

2009 Mantra: Love your life! Life is good!

Happy New Year! YOU are in the position to make it your best year ever - we all are! Don't snicker at my New Year's high!! I'm serious here :-p